Newsies OneShots

Crutchie Morris's Day Off- Crutchie and the Newsies

Oh, to be alone.

Yes, Crutchie loved his friends, and yes they were the closest thing to a family, but GOD could they get annoying.

It wasn't all that bad in the beginning. When he was 18, he and all of his friends endured their shenanigans with a head full of nothing. He's gone skydiving, camping, and even ended up with better crutches (thanks to a goFundMe page and the Newsies raising their own money). Of course he kept his famous crutches, and still used them sometimes.

But despite that, he was getting older. He's now 27, and life his tiring. He's got a stable job as nurse in the local hospital and is thinking about adopting a kid. But his friends? They were still 13 years old.

And we're currently fighting over a piece of cake.

"I need a vacation", Crutchie muttered to himself. Normally, Davey and Jack would be the ones to stop them from arguing, but the two went on honeymoon. They wouldn't be back for another week. So, it was up to the second most responsible Newsie to watch the children.

So.......he walked- yes, walked- out of the door and booked a flight on his phone. By tomorrow evening, he'll be in Hawaii soaking up the sun. The others had not a clue about his adventure, and he figured he should tell them, but it's not like most of them would notice. There's too many for them to see one is missing.

The next day, at 6:00 am, Crutchie was waiting for his flight. He did call Jack and tell him about his vacation- brotherhood and all that- but everyone else was in the dark. And he wanted it that way.

Thirty minutes later, he boarded and sat in the slightly uncomfortable chair. He looked out the window, watching the men work together to get everything on the plane. Maybe he should invite his friends.

'No', he thought. 'You need this, Charlie. You need it a lot."

The plane flew into the sky, masking itself behind the clouds.

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"Room service!" Crutchie hobbled to the hotel room door. He convinced the front desk to let him borrow a pair of crutches, and they actually obliged. He was proud of himself, it was the one thing Jack continuously does not let him ask for.

Jack.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Miss. Can you set it near the bed, please?"

It had been a week since Charlie went on his vacation, which meant Davey and Jack were back with the boys. He knew he needed alone time and he knew he needed to enjoy himself, but what's the point of vacation without your loved ones?

He hated eating breakfast without Jack stating a funny joke or walking down the beach without Davey talking about seashells. He missed watching tv with Race and his comments and eating dinner with Albert's critique.

He missed his friends. He needed to see them.

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Crutchie found himself at the airport in New York, taking in the loud noises and smell. New York had a distinct smell you wouldn't notice if you were a Native. And he loved it.

He rushed to find a taxi and was in even more of a hurry to see his friends again. Sure he'd seen them last week, but that was last week and it's this week so-

He found a big house on a hill- Miss Medda's legendary mansion. It was a Newsies signature and his home. It was even a possible symbol of Medda's lifeline. After she got sick, she came home and instantly felt better. It's magic.

He grabbed his belongings from the trunk of the taxi and walked up to the door. After counting to three, he unlocked the door, quietly, and snuck in. It smelt like he remembered: cinnamon and show business.

He loved this place.

As he walked deeper into the house, he could hear the talking and laughter of 27 and 28 year olds, plus Les, who's 20. 'Shouldn't he be at school?' Crutchie asked himself. 'The more the merrier, I guess.'

Crutchie did his best to sneak his way to the door and watched his friends. They were laughing and arguing, like old times. He knew the perfect way to find attention.

"Ya miss me?" Every boy in the room turned their head towards the door as the room went silent. Jack ran up to his friend- his brother- and the rest of his friends tackled him in a hug.

He missed home.